2006 Legacy Award Recipient
Rick Fleming RRT
Rick Fleming, RRT - 2006 Legacy Award Winner
Read More About this ISRC Legacy
By Deborah Linhart, BS, RRT,
AE-C
His mother, a nurse at University of Chicago Hospital,
told him of a guy at work who was coming around talking about the new, emerging
field of Inhalation Therapy. She suggested that instead of becoming an
optometrist he might want to check it out. So Rick Fleming came in and talked
with Bill Morrison, enrolled, and graduated from the Inhalation Therapy Program
at U of C in 1970.
Rick became ARIT # 1331 and briefly taught at U of
C. In 1971 he landed the job of Head Therapist at Northwestern and was later
promoted to Technical Director of Respiratory Therapy.
Rick moved to Ingalls Community Hospital in 1974,
where he remained for 21 years. Rick began with a department almost completely
staffed with on-the-job trainees. He initiated staff development and education
as well as a clinical affiliation with MVCC to effect transition to a
professional department. His staff was already implementing Intensive Care
Ventilator Protocols in the late 1970's. During his tenure there he was not
only responsible for Respiratory Care, but also for Clinical Neurophysiology
and the development of the Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Sleep Lab
programs, nurturing professional growth of interested respiratory therapists
into these emerging fields.
An active member of the ISRC/AARC, Rick served as
President of the ISRC 1985-1986. He was instrumental in guiding the Society
through a complete restructuring from a cumbersome system of two governing
bodies to the current more efficient single governing body structure, as
well as the name change from the ISRT to the ISRC. He also lead the society
to achieve the first time a professional licensure bill passed the state
house and senate. (Unfortunately the Governor did not sign the bill into
law.) And during his term of office the ISRC produced their first
ISCR/Respiratory Care recruitment video (twenty years
ago!).
In 1995 Rick started working for Fitzsimmons as a
Sales Territory Manager. This move occurred at the same time as the Respiratory
Care Practice Act was going into effect. In response to the new requirement
for CEUs, Rick began developing programs granting free CEUs, focusing on
education, not just making a sale.
Rick currently works as a sales representative for
Maquet demonstrating and selling Servo ventilators.
Rick has dedicated over 36 years to the development
and promotion of Respiratory Care. He has been pioneer, innovator, mentor,
educator, manager, businessman and visionary. And he has always been a sterling
example of a Respiratory Care Professional. |
